Cindy Sheehan: victim of liberal-left
By Henry Lamb
web posted August 22, 2005
Were it not for the interview Cindy Sheehan gave to a local
newspaper on June 24, her current crusade near the President's
ranch might be forgivable. With each new interview and TV
commercial, however, it is increasingly clear that she has allowed
herself to become the mouthpiece for the liberal left's anti-war,
anti-Bush vitriol.
In June, shortly after her son's death in Iraq, Sheehan said she
had reservations about the war. She was pleased that the
President invited her and her husband, Patrick, to a face-to-face
meeting. After the meeting, Patrick said, "We have a lot of
respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect
for him because he was sincere and he didn't have to take the
time to meet with us,"
Cindy added, "I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom
for the Iraqis, I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss.
And I know he's a man of faith."
Fast-forward to August 8. Cindy arrives in Crawford, Texas and
sets up "Camp Casey," a few miles from the President's ranch.
She is the featured attraction on Michael Moore's web site, and
on MoveOn.org's web site, as well as a dozen or more looney-
left anti-war web sites - all of which have a prominent "donate
here" button.
Signs at her road-side sideshow proclaim "Bush lied, they died,"
and similar tripe offered by the get-Bush crowd.
Sympathy flows automatically to the parents and loved ones of
the brave men and women who lost their lives fighting in the
name of America, wherever they may have died. Despite the
efforts of CNN, and other media, to cast her as a heroic symbol,
Cindy has become a puppet of professional media handlers,
dancing on strings pulled by organizations that represent values
that are opposite of those for which her son died.
Cindy is demanding another face-to-face meeting with the
President, to tell him "...how much this hurts," and to ask "How
many more of our loved ones need to die in this senseless war?"
Cindy's demand is not to communicate with the President; it is to
embarrass him.
Among her political advisors are Joe Trippi, who orchestrated
Howard Dean's early victories in the 2004 primaries, and Fenton
Communications, a Washington public relations firm that has
been behind many left-wing causes. Fenton Communications
provided guidance for the National Religious Partnership for the
Environment in the mid 1990s. They took a flawed, EPA-
rejected study, produced by the Natural Resources Defense
Council, and orchestrated the infamous 1989 CBS 60-Minutes
"expose" of Alar, which nearly killed the apple industry.
Cindy has been overwhelmed by the media attention, and by the
Democrat strategists who are eager to use her access to the
media - to attack the President, and further fan the flames of
dissent and division about the war in Iraq.
The President, on the other hand, has publicly acknowledged
Cindy's position, and has defended her right, as an American, to
protest. He has explained why he disagrees with her position,
and, fortunately, it is the President's position that directs
American foreign policy, rather than the cut-and-run Democrats
whom Cindy now represents.
Responsible Democrats, who disagree with the President on
most issues, recognize that to arbitrarily withdraw troops from
Iraq now - as Cindy is demanding - is the worst possible option
for America, and for the world. The stakes have never been
higher in Iraq than they are at this critical moment in time.
The people of Iraq cannot create a representative government if
American troops are not there to prevent the violent insurgents
from taking control. Should the fanatics gain control of Iraq, the
adverse consequences for the Middle East, for America, and for
the world, are beyond comprehension.
If America can provide sufficient defense against the insurgents
to allow the people to hammer their centuries-old differences into
a Constitution that creates a representative government - a new,
historic beginning can emerge, and offer new, and better
alternatives for the people of Iraq.
Cindy has completely lost sight of her son's values, and has
become the chief spokesman for people who don't care about
the future of Iraq, or about defeating fanatic terrorists. She has
become the primary weapon of the extreme left-wing of the
Democrat party, which is obsessed with defeating George Bush,
and all Republicans, and gaining political control in Washington.
The war in Iraq is not "senseless," as Cindy now proclaims.
Success in Iraq is the best hope the world has of beginning to
end the growth of Islamic fanaticism, which is the real enemy of
freedom.
Henry Lamb is the executive vice president of the Environmental
Conservation Organization (ECO), and chairman of Sovereignty
International.
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